This mama is a fan of children’s books. I believe the books we read to our little ones are more than just books. They are teaching our children what we believe, value, and love. For this reason, I am pretty picky with the books I choose to read to Hudson.
Especially when it comes to Christmas books, there are soooo many options, but there also are a lot that tell more of our culture’s version of Christmas and fail to include Jesus and instead focus on Santa, reindeer, and gingerbread men. Nothing inherently wrong with these elements, but I love finding books that help show the fun in these things, but ultimately draw our attention to Jesus and family and love.
I spent a ton of time sifting through our own Christmas collection, scrolling through library catalogs, and researching through all the books on Amazon, to bring to you my 10 Favorite Christmas books. This is a good mix of secular and Christian books. There are some classics you should recognize, and there are likely a few you have never heard of.
If you are anything like me, and still in the midst of Christmas shopping, one or more of these books would make a great gift for the little ones in your life!
Top 10 Favorite Christmas Books
1. Santa’s Prayer by Tom Roberts
This season, I have been very much feeling the tension between how our culture celebrates Christmas and the true reason for this special season: Jesus. As a new parent, I am trying to navigate the role Santa will have in our family. I do not necesarrily wish to steal away all the fun that comes with traditions of Santa and putting out cookies for him and carrots for his reindeer, but I certainly do not want my children to miss the point.
This book is a beautiful answer to some of this tension I have been struggling with. There is a Santa in this book, but it is a Santa that is a humble servant of Christ. It is a Santa that kneels and prayers and asks for God’s wisdom to help guide the children to understand the true joy of Christmas. This is the type of book that I know I will read over and over again to all of my kiddos.
2. The Way to the Manger: A Family Advent Devotional
This book very much aligns with much of what I discussed last week. This is the perfect book to help bring your family together around Christ this Christmas season. This book is the perfect element to a family tradition around advent. It gives you and your family a devotion for each day of December before Christmas. Not only can this be the perfect family evening routine together, it will feed the whole family with the Word of God and keep everyone centered during this very busy time of year.
3. Christmas Is Coming: An Advent Book
This is another great book that functions as an Advent calendar. The illustrations are darling! This book would be the perfect coffee table book to have out during the holidays! It also very much connects to all my thoughts from last week’s post and gives a new recipe, activity, song, game or craft to try each day as a family. There is something about books that can really bring a family together and I love how this book so intentionally gives fun, holiday ideas to help get your family to enjoy time together.
4. Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht
This is the perfect book to make part of your Christmas tree traditions. I just discovered it, but next year, we are definitely going to make reading this book apart of our Friday-after Thanksgiving tree tradition! It is the perfect tradition-type of book as the book itself holds the traditions a family has around their own Christmas tree. I love how this book is so centered around family and the importance of tradition. Not to mention, it is a rhyming book so perfect for the little ears in your family!
5. God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren
I am a fan of the God Gave Us series of books. This is another beautifully written and illustrated story that helps your little ones understand that Christmas is in fact about much more than the tree and the presents. I love these books because the author so beautifully captures the curious, question-asking mind of a child. The answers from the mama bear, even minister to me as a parent, as I glean wisdom on how to discuss some of these bigger topics with kids as they begin to get older.
6. Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell
There are so many wonderful books that beautifully depict the birth of Jesus that are geared for young children. Of all that I sifted through and researched, Room for a Little One, stands out. For one, I love that the story is told from the perspective of animals. Hudson is animal obsessed right now, so this retelling of the story is especially interesting to him. There is also something very charming about getting an animal’s perspective of the night of Jesus’s birth.
7. Little Blue Truck’s Christmas by Alice Schertle
My mom got Hudson this book last Christmas and it is one of our favorites. The whole Little Blue Truck series is so endearing and perfect for my little guy who is becoming more and more truck obsessed with each passing day. I love this book in particular because it allows us to work on counting as we get to count the number of trees that are left in in Little Blue Truck. It is also fun because the last page has flashing lights on the final Christmas tree!
8. Red and Lulu by Matt Tavares
Hudson is currently loving birds. We also just visited New York City this summer as a family. For these two reasons, this book feels like the perfect addition to our Christmas library. Again, this book’s illustrations are stunning. I love the beautiful images of NYC at Christmas time. Red and Lulu are birds that get separated, but eventually are reunited by the story’s end. This heartwarming story combines some of our favorite things: birds, NYC, and love. It is a bit wordy for Hudson’s attention span, but I look forward to enjoying this story with him next Christmas and for now, we will just enjoy the beautiful illustrations.
9. The Story of Christmas by Patricia A. Pingry
This is another well-written book that helps young children understand the real point of Christmas and how things like gift giving is ultimately connected to showing love, like the love God showed us through Jesus. I particularly enjoy the last two pages: “We give gifts at Christmas to show our love. And we say, ‘Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus’” (Pingry 19-22). The language in this book is super simple, the words are nice and big, making it again the perfect Christmas story for the little ones in your home.
10. The Night Before Christmas Recordable Book by Clement C. Moore
Hudson got this as a gift last year from his nanny and poppy. This makes such a great gift! Hudson loves opening this book and hearing the voices of his nanny and poppy. This is such a classic book and we have multiple copies of The Night Before Christmas, but Hudson definitely prefers the version that is personalized with voices he can recognize!
What are some of you family’s favorite Christmas books? I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below.
This Mama Needs Grace 